Job Training and Education

Nearly 90 million working-age adults lack the basic literacy skills or education credentials necessary to succeed in the postsecondary education and training that leads to family-supporting jobs and careers in today’s economy. Among those most affected by the weak economy are individuals facing distinctive barriers to employment, older workers needing to retool their skills to match their physical capabilities, immigrant workers, school dropouts and other at-risk youth and young adults, and those who must adjust to job dislocations. Federal policy should support state and local efforts to develop seamless career pathways between adult education, job training, and higher education programs to ensure workers have the skills they need to obtain employment and advance their careers over time. And those who seek a college education should not be deterred by the cost.

Adult Education and workforce programs authorized under WIA are severely underfunded. Funding for workforce programs has declined over the past 27 years, leaving them hard pressed to address the needs of workers and employers during this critical time. The Adult Education system can serve only a small fraction of adults with low basic skills with existing funding. The Employment Service, which is the state-administered, federally-funded labor exchange, also has been severely underfunded for years. Employers rely on this agency to locate employees with the skills they require for open positions, and employees rely on it to find work that requires their skill-set, and for career guidance regarding education and training leading to new skills. Significant investments are needed to give the Employment Service the tools it needs to

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Human Needs Report

Read articles from the March 2nd edition of the Human Needs Report with analysis on the recent showdown on immigration and homeland security funding in Congress, business tax breaks passed by the House, and the subcommittee hearings that have begun on the FY2016 budget. Read More »